Joker took us to some very unexpected places, and it's now been revealed that the movie's standout scene was improvised by Joaquin Phoenix. The sequence featured Arthur Fleck dancing by himself in an empty public bathroom just minutes after he shot three Wall Street guys to death on the subway.
Now, director Todd Phillips has shed some light on what was
supposed to happen in that scene.
"In the script, Arthur was to come into the bathroom, hide his gun, wash off his makeup, staring at himself in the mirror and saying, ‘What have I done?'" Phillips explained. However, that version showing the aftermath of his actions "didn’t seem very much like Arthur. Why would Arthur care to hide his gun? We tossed around a million ways to just do something different."
After around an hour or so of trying to come up with something that worked, he played a piece by the film's composer, Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Phoenix started dancing. "He just starts doing this dance and we looked at each other and knew it was the scene. It made sense to us...it’s a little bit of Joker coming out."
You can hear more from the filmmaker below:
Hit the "View List" button to check out 10 lingering
questions we can't forget about after seeing Joker!
Was There Something More Sinister About His Co-Worker?
When Randall gives Arthur that gun, he talks about his co-worker being able to find a way to pay him back at a later date, while referring to him as his "boy." It's a scene with some sinister undertones and it's hard to escape the feeling that this fellow clown might have been abusing or taking advantage of the mentally vulnerable Arthur in some way.
After all, this would explain why Arthur so brutally kills him, because while it is Randall's fault that he gets fired, that probably isn't enough to justify such a violent and horrible attack.
What Did Arthur Do To Sophie?
After it's revealed that almost all of Arthur's interactions with Sophie have been in his head, he lets himself into her apartment and she's clearly terrified of what he's going to do next. Mocking what she did when they first met by putting his fingers to his head and pulling the trigger, the next thing we see is him leaving her home.
However, when he's back in his own apartment and laughing uncontrollably, we hear sirens outside and it's impossible to escape the feeling that he did something awful to Sophie...and possibly her daughter. The fact that we never learn what is even more disturbing in some ways, as he's truly unhinged and a man on the edge at this point.
Is Thomas Wayne Arthur's Father?
While the movie makes it clear that Penny Fleck has a lot of serious issues, her claims about Thomas Wayne being Arthur's son are quite possibly confirmed when we see a postcard with a message on the back signed by "TW."
However, there's equally as much evidence that Arthur isn't Thomas' son, so we're very much left to wonder what the truth is by the time the credits roll. It's easy to imagine them being related, though, and that will definitely change the dynamic between Bruce Wayne/Batman and the Clown Prince of Crime when they inevitably cross paths somewhere down the line.
...And Is He The Real Villain Of The Movie?
Honestly, this might be the easiest question to answer on this entire list. That postcard might just be something that Penny wrote herself, but it also seems to be damning evidence, and if there's anyone with the power to forge fake adoption papers, it's the billionaire in charge of Wayne Industries.
This would mean that not only did Thomas abandon his son, but he also allowed him to live in horrible, abusive conditions. The way he rejects Arthur in the present day is just as unforgivable, and by the time he's gunned down in that alley, it really does feel like he's getting what he "f***ing deserves."
What Happened To The Doctor?
At the very end of the movie, Arthur (without his makeup and green hair) is seen talking to a psychiastrist within the confines of the hospital. After making it clear that she's not in on his joke - we'll get to that a little later - we next see him walking out of the room leaving a trail of bloody footprints in his wake. So, what happened?
Well, we have to assume that he very violently killed her, and that a switch has been flicked in Arthur's head that now means he's happy to kill indiscriminately after being inspired by the Gothamites who cheered him on as he stood atop that cop car.
Where Did Arthur's Laughing Tick Go?
By the time Arthur Fleck appears on Murray Franklin's talk show, it seems like his laughing tick has completely disappeared. Throughout the entire movie, he's unable to control his compulsion to cackle, but by the time he truly becomes "Joker," it's gone. Is that because he's realised it was all in his head, or is he finally just able to act the way he wants to?
The last time he suffers from this uncontrollable laughter is in his apartment after Sophie's apparent murder, but even then, there's a chance he's just laughing hysterically over when he's just done. It's worth noting that he also has a fake laugh he uses when he realises things are supposed to be funny (the comedy club, for example), so this could take multiple rewatches to figure out.
Just How Much Of The Movie Is Real?
As well as hallucinating all those dates with Sophie, we also get an extended fantasy sequence where Arthur meets his idol Murray Franklin and receives his seal of approval.
So, it's hard not to wonder what else in the movie might not be real. Did he actually meet Thomas Wayne or was that interaction all in his head? What about the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne? Could that have been wishful thinking on Joker's part, and is it possible he "created" Batman...in his head? We may never find out.
Is He The Real Joker?
This is something that might be down to the viewer to decide. It's entirely possible that Arthur Fleck is The Joker we all know and hate from the comics, but there's a big age gap between him and Bruce Wayne. Even director Todd Phillips has alluded to the possibility that he's just the man who inspires the "real" Clown Prince of Crime.
That's a little too close to Fox's
Gotham for our liking, but it's definitely interesting to imagine what happened to this version of the city next, and the role Arthur may or may not play.
Did Murray Franklin Get What He Deserved?
This is such a tricky question to address. Arthur's actions are obviously inexcusable, but Murray Franklin only invited him on his show so he could ridicule and embarrass him. He wanted to make Arthur a laughing stock and didn't stop to even consider that there might be something wrong with him or the ramifications of what having him on his show might be.
So, when Arthur pulls the trigger and says "You get what you f***ing deserve!," is it true that Murray really is getting his just desserts? Possibly, but that doesn't mean he deserved to die. Still, it's hard not to root for Joker in some ways, even when you know it's not the right thing to do.
What Was That Final Joke?
Asked by the psychiatrist what's so funny, Arthur tells her that she wouldn't get it, as the action on screen flashes to that shot of Bruce Wayne standing over his parents covered in blood.
Is the joke that none of this ever happened and it's in his head, or is it the fact that Joker has now created another mentally ill loner with some serious issues? If that's the case, we can expect this version of Batman to be the darkest iteration of the Caped Crusader to date and possibly just as unhinged as Arthur, albeit in some very different ways.